Ok, I did a "low budget" Solo ANH years ago that still works pretty well. It's certainly a damnsight better than what most people on Halloween will be wearing, which is basically the only time I wear it (I don't go in costume to cons, although I've actually only been to one con). Anyway, here goes.
I'll start by saying that I know my out fit is NOT "SA" (screen accurate). You give that up when you go budget, unless you're willing to spend a lot of time. I was not, when I put this together.
Boots
Search Ebay. DO NOT get the "German Officer" boots that pop up. These are typically surplus east German officer boots with a treaded sole. They're too low. Only about 12-13" high and you need something that comes up to the top of your calves. I recommend RUSSIAN officer boots which are usually around 17-18" high. You can probably find 'em for around $60-120, depending on your luck and how well you hunt. These boots will not be perfect. They'll look "flat" and they can easily be flattened down on the uppers. But, they round out when you wear them. Still, the shaft of the uppers won't have that perfect cylindrical look to them. It'll look more "wrinkled" It still works, though, in my opinion.
Pants
I used a pair of blue Dickies work pants. They fit just fine. For bloodstripes, I basically took red hem facing, cut it up, and folded it over some blue fabric (I forget what kind). I glued that onto the fabric, and then had a tailor sew the fabrick onto the pants themselves. In my opinion, the hem facing is too wide, and I spaced my bloodstripes out too much, but maybe you can find similar material that works better.
The pants cost about $30 or so. Tailor costs depend on where you are. If you're good with a sewing machine (or know someone who is) this may not be an issue.
Shirt
Originally, I went with a JK2 shirt. I later got in touch with Corellian Exports. Dunno if they're still around. DO NOT wear a white button down shirt. You'll look like a *******.
As I recall, the shirts ran between $60-100.
Vest
I found an old black BDU jacket, and used a seam ripper to remove the sleeves completely. I hung on to them for spare material just in case. I then removed the pockets and brought the vest up a bit, and had it tailored so that it was less boxy. I had the pockets re-attached on the front.
The BDU jacket was relatively cheap from an Army/Navy store. I think it went for around $40-50? Something like that. It's been a while. You may be able to find a cheaper alternative. My vest also does not have the back panel pockets. I don't think I had enough material from the sleeves to make those work. Most people don't notice, though.
Gloves
Guy named Russ did a run of those on here YEARS ago (took forever, too). Ran me about $60. I'd go with Magnoli and save yourself the headache. After that, I haven't paid for a "project" on here since.
Blaster
Tons of dealers out there, or find yourself a Denix Mauser and a kit and put it together yourself. I got mine from Boba Debt.
Belt
Got mine from a guy on here back in '99 named Jason. Went by the handle of Dash Rendar. I got, literally, the last belt he ever made. So...um....don't bother trying to find him. There are dealers around. You can try to manufacture your own, too, or search Ebay. If you want names of folks, give a yell and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction.
Droid caller & Greebleis
You can probably find a makeshift flashgun online (Leitz maybe). Or try to find someone here who does resin versions. I recommend a resin version, personally, but that's also because my droid caller clip doesn't really hold the thing in place. You can find other belt tools and such from these folks as well. Or make your own out of dental floss containers and some electronics bits. You can almost certainly find a micronox cylinder somewhere (just be sure you bleed it dry before using it on your belt!).
Tips for Costuming
Here's a few things I'd recommend. First, when you get a gunbelt, make sure it has multiple snaps for the leg strap. You want the thing to move some, yeah, but ideally not completely flop around. Try to find one with a solid clip for your droid caller. Mine is a rather flimsy clip that never quite holds things in place. If possible, try using some sort of adhesive to hold the droid caller in place or find a good way to wedge it in.
Your boots may need to be stretched at the calves. You can find boot stretchers online, if need be.
The gunbelt and blaster are easily the most expensive parts of the costume, depending on how accurate you want 'em to be. You can always get a hasbro toy gun, though, or try your hand at making your own. Denix mausers are under $100, I think.
Regarding the pants, one of the biggest pet peeves I had when first trying on my costume was their tendency to "blouse" at the knees after you walk around. I solved this problem using one method, but there are one or two others you can try. For me, I fold the pants up at the ankles so they're tight on my ankles and lower calves. I then put on a pair of men's dress socks (thin ones) OVER the pants. This helps avoid the pants catching on the boots as you put your feet in, and riding up. Another option would be to sew some kind of stirrup into the bottom so that your feet will hold them down. If you're too cheap to do that, though, the socks thing works great. What the hell. Maybe Han did that himself. We never DID see him with his boots off...
For the shirt, try to get it tapered a bit. I have relatively broad shoulders by comparison with my waist, which means that shirts tend to be boxy on me. This means they blouse out at the waist quite a bit, which can look funny peeking out from under your vest. A tailored/tapered shirt will help some here.
Hope that helps. I'll try to find pics to post later.
